The film was produced by Jordan Yale Levine of Yale Productions; Scott Levenson; Vince Jolivette and Franco of Rabbit Bandini Productions; and Shaun S. Sanghani of SSS Entertainment.

“King Cobra” had its world premiere in April in the Midnight section of the Tribeca Film Festival. Kelly directed from his own screenplay, based on the Andrew E. Stoner-Peter A. Conway book “Cobra Killer: Gay Porn, Murder, and the Manhunt to Bring the Killers to Justice” about the 2007 murder of a gay porn producer (played by Christian Slater) by two aspiring producers (Franco and Allen).

Garrett Clayton stars as a porn star who creates a slew of wildly successful videos, triggering the turf war with rival producers.

Jonathan Sehring, president of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said, “‘King Cobra’ affirms that Justin Kelly is a major up-and-coming talent with a bright future. In our tradition of supporting emerging filmmakers, IFC Films cannot wait to bring his daring, darkly witty film to US audiences.”

The deal for the film was negotiated with Miles Hardy, Jack Warner and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.